User Ratings & Reviews

Ratings: 1 | Reviews: 1

3.73/5rDev 0%look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Bumblebee yellow topped by a fat one finger of bone white foam. Within minutes there was a thin film on the surface of the beer and a thin smeary film of lace on the glass. It wasn't a lace monster by any means, but enough remained on the glass throughout the pint to keep me happy.

I had a feeling (after tasting the beer) that the nose might have been pretty good if it had had enough power to be appreciated. All I got was a whiff of fresh, slightly sweet grain. The fact that no honey was present in the aroma was a disappointment.

The success or failure of Honey Wheat hinged on one simple question: was there enough honey flavor? I love honey and most of the so-called 'honey added' beer that I've had in the past has been deficient in actual honey flavor. Well, I'm happy to report that Honey Wheat is honeylicious.

First of all, the beer was lightly (yet sufficiently) malted. Maybe the honey was confusing things flavor-wise, but it seemed to be more of a pale-malted beer than a wheat-malted one. Nothing wrong with that. Second of all, I was pleased to see that lemon citrusy hops were added in such quantity as to provide another facet to the flavor profile and to provide a needed countering bitterness.

Now, the raison d'etre of this fine ale: honey. The chalkboard just inside the front door stated that Honey Wheat contains '200 lbs of honey from the Spring Valley Honey Farm in Perry, Iowa'. Presumably that means per brew kettle, not per glass. So, was there enough honey flavor to make it a success? A resounding, unqualified yes!

Right out of the gate, the beer tasted like most other (good, fairly sweet) APWAs. At about the midway point, the honey flavor came on with a rush, peaked on the finish and lasted an impressively long time. The commingling of lemony hops and sweet honey was simply wonderful.

The mouthfeel was light, giving the impression of light-medium due to the impressive degree of sticky mouthcoating that it imparted. The carbonation was initially bee-buzzy. Thankfully, the little suckers became more lethargic by the bottom of the glass, improving the mouthfeel noticeably.

Honey Wheat is the first of the Rock Bottom 'seasonal wheat beers' that I've had. It was great on this cold February afternoon and I have a sneaking suspicion that it would be even better during the warmer months of the year. I look forward to seeing what wdmrock comes up with next.